A/N: *peeks out of cave* Welcome back, guys! I know it's been a few months since I updated this story, and I don't really have an excuse except time seemed to just fly by around Christmas time. I aimed to have this done by the first episode of the new season of The 100, but it wasn't meant to be.
A HUGE thank you to narelclollie, Amalie, Donny Donowitz, GraceTM86, letonlee, , Jag, Skyler, james, joey, LMarie99 and everyone else who followed and fav'd! Your reviews and interest in this story make me so happy!
And a big thank you to my wonderful beta Dannylionthe1st. I couldn't do this without you! :)
Hope you guys enjoy! :)
Chapter 21
"Clarke!" Alex called out, scrambling after the other girl. Clarke was marching across the camp, heading directly for the wall. "Clarke, wait! Think about this for a second - just because it's Murphy's knife doesn't mean that he did it." The words felt hollow even as she said them. "For all we know, it could have been anybody!"
Clarke didn't spare her a glance, instead scouring nearby delinquents for any signs of the boy who she'd already deemed guilty. After a moment, Clarke responded. "Who else could it have been? Murphy's made it more than clear on several occasions that he wouldn't mind hurting Wells. Wouldn't mind hurting anyone, at that."
Frustration welled up inside her. Why wouldn't Clarke listen to her? "But—" Alex tried again but had to stop when Clarke whirled around to face her, staring at her in disbelief.
"Are you actually defending him?" Clarke asked, flabbergasted. "After everything he's done — threatening Wells, threatening you — and you're trying to defend him?"
"Yes! I mean — No!" Alex replied, shaking her head, before groaning in frustration. "I just mean that maybe we should consider all the facts before we go around accusing someone of murder!" She bit the inside of her cheek, cringing when her words came out louder than she'd intended, resulting in a few of the nearby teens turning towards them in interest. The last thing they needed was the entire camp overhearing them.
Clarke shook her head in response, looking at her like she'd never seen her before. "Murphy's knife - which has his initials carved into it - was found on the exact spot where Wells died," Clarke paused when her voice cracked over the last word. Clearing her throat, she continued, "and that was after he'd threatening Wells life with the same knife! Now, I don't know what other proof you need," she said, tone accusing. "But I have more than enough to know who did it." Clarke went to turn away, but paused to give her a disappointed look. "I thought that you would've wanted justice for Wells...I guess I was wrong," she finished and turned away, continuing her march towards the nearly completed wall.
But it wasn't him! Alex wanted to scream after her. It was Charlotte! However, a flash of Charlotte's terrified gaze had her swallowing the words before they could pass her lips. She couldn't bring herself to say the one thing that would direct the blame where it rightfully belonged. So she said nothing at all, watching Clarke walk away with a sickening feeling in her gut.
A presence at her shoulder had her glancing back and she found Bellamy standing beside her, watching Clarke walk away with a frown of his own, arms loosely folded across his chest. Sensing her gaze, he turned towards her. "She's not wrong, you know," he pointed out, eyeing her. "Defending Murphy isn't something that you're known to do," he added dryly. "Anything you'd like to share?"
Biting her lip, she turned away, folding her arms defensively across her chest, once again contemplating telling him the truth, but when her gaze landed on Jasper and Octavia who were within earshot, she decided against it.
When she didn't immediately answer his question, Bellamy sighed. "Is this something anything to do with what you were asking earlier? About the Ark's laws?"
"It's….It's nothing," she finally answered, the words tasting bitter on her tongue, and turned to continue heading in the direction Clarke had gone.
"You know...I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," he stated lowly, matching her pace, seeming to sense her wariness to talk.
Gnawing on the inside of her cheek, she debated on her answer. "I know…" she said softly, "I guess, something just doesn't feel right about this."
When she didn't elaborate, he rolled his eyes. "Right," he stated flatly, like he didn't quite believe her.
Either you say something now, or you live with the consequences of your silence.
Gaze landing on Charlotte, who was standing on the far side of the clearing next to Jemma and Harper, solidified her decision in her mind, though it didn't help the sickening churn of her stomach.
It didn't take them long to catch up to Clarke, who'd found Murphy near the section of the wall still under construction.
"You son of a bitch!" Clarke exclaimed as she marched up to Murphy, shoving him back with enough force to send him stumbling back a step just as Alex, Bellamy, Octavia and Jasper came to stop behind her.
Clarke shout seemed to capture the attention of nearby delinquents at once, heads eagerly snapping around to face the commotion, the emotion only seeming to intensify when they saw that it was Clarke standing toe-to-toe with Murphy. It didn't take them long to approach to watch the show.
Murphy looked shocked at the attack for all of a second before he righted himself, his expression shifting to an amused sneer as he stepped up to meet Clarke's stare. "What the hell's your problem?" he scoffed down at her.
For once, Clarke wasn't putting up with any of his shit. Raising her right hand, she held out the blade - his blade - and shoved it in his face with a sneer of her own. "Recognize this?" she demanded, glaring at him.
Murphy's eyes flickered down to her hand, a small frown of recognition crossing his face before indifference took its place. "Yeah, that's my knife" he stated slowly, as if he were talking to a small child, while reaching forward to take it from her. Clarke was quick to snatch it out of his reach, so he paused, cocking his head to the side, eyeing her in annoyance. "Where'd you get it?"
"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells," Clarke spat back with venom.
Alex felt more than heard the shock that rippled through the crowd at Clarke's accusation, the statement catching the attention of everyone within earshot. The pause lasted no longer than a split second before murmurs broke out around them. While some looked shocked, no one seemed to doubt Clarke's statement - after all, Murphy had done an excellent job of making enemies from the moment they'd landed. Violence and aggression was practically his trademark.
And like a spark fueled by a fan, the shock quickly flared to anger.
Murphy seemed to instantly become aware of the change in the crowd, the smirk sliding slowly from his face as he stared down at Clarke. "Where I what?" he asked and for the first time in a long time, Alex thought she could detect a hint of nervousness in his tone.
She couldn't blame him. He had no idea what Clarke was talking about, even though he knew the implication of her words.
Murphy shuffled closer to Clarke, as if trying to keep the conversation between them, an impossible task when they were the center of everyone's attention. "The Grounders killed Wells," he stated firmly, lowly. "Not me."
"I know what you did," Clarke angrily replied, "and you're going to pay for it."
Murphy shifted on his feet as he stared at her, before his gaze flickered up around the crowd, finally landing on Bellamy, who was watching the scene with a carefully blank expression. "Really?" Murphy scoffed. "Bellamy, you believe this crap?"
He's calling out to Bellamy for help. Alex realized, a bitter taste in her mouth.
Beside her, Bellamy shifted on his feet, but said nothing. She could feel his discomfort and wondered if he knew that something was off about this, that maybe Murphy's reaction to the accusation wasn't what he expected.
Clarke wasn't done. "You threatened to kill him," she accused. "We all heard you. You hated Wells."
"Plenty of people hated Wells," Murphy snapped back. "His father was the Chancellor that locked us all up."
"You were the only one who got into a knife fight -"
"And I didn't kill him then, either," Murphy interrupted, glaring back at her.
"He tried to kill Jasper too," Octavia piped up from where she stood off to the side. Beside her, Jasper blinked down at the dark haired girl in disbelief. Clearly, that was news to him.
Octavia's words seemed to trigger something in the surrounding crowd, and the tension in the air spiked, as the murmurs of disbelief changed to anger.
"Is this the society we want?" Clarke demanded from the crowd. "You say we can do 'whatever the hell we want', but does that mean we can just kill each other, without...without punishment?"
There was a brief moment of deliberation before Connor stepped forward, throwing a fist in the air. "I say we float him!" He roared to the crowd who quickly exclaimed their approval.
"No!" Clarke responded, instantly realizing the mistake in her words. "That's not what I meant!"
Connor stepped forward to meet her. "And why not?" he challenged, angrily pointing at Murphy, who stood fists and jaw clenched, glowering at Connor. "He committed a crime, so he floats. It's justice!"
"Revenge isn't justice!" Clarke argued, desperately looking around the crowd in disbelief.
No one was listening to her.
Connor had turned back to the crowd, taking the opportunity. "Float him! Float him! Float him!" He began. It didn't take long for the rest to take up his chant.
Murphy seemed to snap out of it, realizing the danger he was in and turned to make a break through the crowd. He didn't make it more than a few steps before someone kicked his legs out from under him.
As the crowd surged forward and lashed out at him like a ferocious beast, for the first time in a long time, Alex froze, her body unresponsive to the overwhelming need to step in and help. Trembling hands clenched tightly at her sides, Alex could only watch with growing horror as they lashed out at Murphy, shoving him to the ground even as he tried, and failed, to fight back. There were jeers and shrieks of victory as beat Murphy down - striking and kicking any part of him they could reach. The simple sadism of their actions settled in her stomach like a stone.
Is this enough for you? She asked herself. How far will they have to go before you give in and help? Because if you say nothing and let this continue - he will die here and Charlotte will forever walk free of her crime. And no matter what he's done, no matter how much you dislike him - Murphy's innocent, he doesn't deserve this.
Alex flinched when a particularly vicious boot lashed out and struck Murphy in the face, his head snapping back, a pained howl tearing from his throat before he could get his hands up around his head for protection. Despite herself, she found her feet taking a step forwards as Murphy attempted to curl in on himself, only to be stopped by a firm hand curling around her upper arm, holding her back. Looking back, she stared wide-eyed at Bellamy who'd grabbed her, but he simply shook his head in response, his gaze never leaving Murphy's cowering form. His hand not leaving her arm.
She had to look away, her vision blurring as guilt ate at her insides like acid.
"No!" Clarke cried out from where she was attempting to push her way through the crowd and reach Murphy. "No, stop! Get off him!" The only reaction she received was a harsh shove in return, sending her stumbling back
Alex was wrong if she thought that things couldn't get worse, as Connor, who had disappeared earlier, reappeared, looking triumphant. In his hand was a homemade noose made from the scraps of the dropship safety harnesses.
"Float the bastard!" Connor hollered, and the surrounding delinquents roared their approval when he chucked the makeshift noose to the guys pinning the bloody and beaten Murphy, face shoved into the mud below.
It didn't take them long to have Murphy bound, gagged and strung up, his feet standing precariously on the edge a metal box which had been shoved beneath him - the only thing stopping him from falling, besides the thin cord around his neck.
As Alex stared up at Murphy, the cheers of the crowd around her sounded far away, as if a glass wall was separating her from the rest. She could see the terror in Murphy's eyes as they frantically darted around, looking for someone, anyone who would stop what was about to happen. His gaze met hers for no more than a second, before he looked away.
Are you really going to let this happen…. Can you live with yourself knowing that he died because you couldn't bring yourself to face the truth? She asked herself. No, he's a loose cannon. She reminded herself. There's no telling when he would end up hurting someone. Like Clarke said - he's had no problem threatening people's lives. Then why did the thought of Murphy taking the blame makes her feel sick to her stomach? Because he hasn't done anything to deserve this. Am I going to let him die for a crime that he didn't commit?
Her gaze slid past a group of delinquents and landing on a panicked looking Charlotte, who stood on the opposite side of the clearing. The young girl was trembling as she stared up at Murphy with wide eyes. Does she know that if Murphy dies today, that this is on her - no - on us? Our silence will be his death penalty, and we will have to live with the consequences, she thought bitterly.
Next to her, Clarke whirled to face Bellamy, looking up at him pleadingly. "You need to stop this! You can stop this! They'll listen to you!"
Even as she pleaded with him, Connor came out of the crowd towards them. "Bellamy!" he greeted, eyes wide with excitement. "I think you should do it! Be-lla-my! Be-lla-my!" he continued, and the surrounding delinquents once again took up his chant.
Stunned that Connor would even suggest it, Alex turned to face Bellamy who stood frozen beside her, his expression carefully blank. When he showed no immediate interest in Connor's idea, she felt a sliver of relief wash through her - he'd never done anything to indicate that he had blood on his hands. It was stupid of Connor to suggest it. Bellamy simply wasn't a killer. But her relief was short lived. As the chanting grew louder, Bellamy's doubt seemed to fade away entirely.
When he stepped forward, moving towards Murphy, her jaw dropped as she stared at him, the sinking feeling growing in her stomach.
What the hell are you doing? She wanted to call out to him, to reached out and pull him back, shake some sense into him, but her feet were frozen to the ground. Her body unresponsive to her commands.
Moving forward, his expression was steely, looking like he was trying his best to bury any emotions he had of the situation deep within himself. Those standing before him cheered, clapping him on the back in approval, even as they parted like a wave to let him through.
Clarke didn't seem to share Alex's problem of frozen feet and leapt in front of Bellamy, shoving her hands forcefully against his chest, as she blocked his path. "Bellamy, stop. I saw you with Atom. I know you're not a killer," she said, words tumbling from her lips in panic. The only reaction he gave was to grip her wrists and firmly move her out of the way as he moved towards Murphy's panicked form. "Bellamy, don't do this! You can't do this!"
He won't do it. He won't do it. Alex thought numbly, staring after him. He can't do it.
As Bellamy approached him, Murphy's struggles renewed in their vigor, although he only caused himself to choke on the cord wrapped around his throat. He was staring at Bellamy, shaking his head, trying to stop him, his pleading, his begging, muffled by his gag.
She was wrong. Clarke was wrong.
Bellamy could do it.
To the cheers of the crowd, Bellamy reached Murphy and without any hesitation lashed out, shoving the box out from under Murphy's feet with one swift kick.
"Mmph!" Murphy dropped. The cord snapping taut around his neck, halting his descent with a jolt. his feet still half a meter from the ground. He instantly began to flail around, legs kicking and arms straining against their binding as searching for any way to relieve the pressure around his neck, even as he choked and gagged.
"No!" Clarke leapt forward with a cry of rage, shoving at Bellamy. "How could you?!"
A snarl crossed Bellamy's face as he whirled around to face her. "This is on you, Princess! If you had kept your mouth shut, none of this would have happened!"
It was at that moment that a horrified looking Finn stumbled into the clearing, staring at Murphy's form with wide eyes. "What the hell are you doing?!" He shouted, desperately pushing through the crowd, trying to get to Murphy. "Cut him down!"
Like most of the surrounding group, Alex couldn't take her eyes off of Murphy's form, the kicking and flailing already beginning to slow down as he suffocated, his face turning a deep shade of purple.
He's dying. The simple realization jolted through her like an electric shock, the world suddenly snapping into focus. Becoming super aware of the chatter around her, of Murphy's body jerking as it searched for air, of her own quivering hands.
Hands that had already spilt blood. Hand that were stained red.
Before Alex realized it, her feet were carrying her through the crowd, desperately shoving people out of the way as she rushed forward.
"Stop! Cut him down! It wasn't him! He didn't kill Wells!" Her voice cut through the cheer like a knife. Those closest to her, including Finn, Connor, Bellamy and Clarke, whirled around to face her in shock.
"What?" Bellamy demanded, frowning at her. "What do you mean?"
"I said - cut. him. down. It wasn't him!" Alex repeated forcefully, pushing past them.
"Then who was it?" Connor demanded as she went by. Ignoring him, she continued to move towards Murphy, deciding that if no one else would cut him down, she'd do so herself.
As she moved past Finn, she met his gaze, and noted the worry on his face. Sensing her urgency, he dove forward with renewed vigor, grabbing onto Murphy's legs and attempting to lift whatever weight he could, trying to alleviate the pressure on Murphy's neck.
Alex went to move forward to help, when a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her around, stopping her movement. Frustrated, she turned to face the culprit with a snarl Connor stared back at her suspiciously, grip tight.
Alex opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reply about how they didn't have any fucking time, not when Murphy was dying, when a small body shoved its way between her and Connor.
"Stop! Just stop!" Charlotte cried out, tears openly rolling down her face as she attempted to shove Connor away, who stared down at her blankly, but released Alex's wrist. "It was me, I did it! I killed Wells!"
Charlotte's admission dropped on the crowd like a bomb, the chants fading away to stunned silence.
"Oh, my God," whispered Clarke, staring at Charlotte with disbelieving eyes.
"Someone cut him down!" Finn barked out, breaking the silence, grunting from where he was holding up Murphy's full weight. It took a couple of seconds, then Octavia leapt forward, makeshift blade in hand, and slashed the rope holding Murphy up.
No longer held up, Murphy crashed heavily to the ground, his full weight taking Finn down with him.
Finn was quick to push Murphy off him, turning the other boy over so he could loosen the cord that was still digging tightly into his neck, his other hand pulling the gag out of his mouth and the bindings from his hands.
Alex wasn't the only one holding their breath as they stared at Murphy's prone form, wondering if they had been too late after all.
For a long second, Murphy was completely unmoving. Then with a heave, a ragged gasp tore from his throat before began coughing violently, hands weakly reaching up to protectively cover his bruised throat.
With a huge sigh, Finn leaned back on his hands, body sagging in relief.
Thank God. Alex thought as she released the breath she'd been holding, some of the tension sliding off her shoulders before another replaced it. Glancing down, she gave Charlotte a stunned look. "Charlotte…" She began and then trailed off, not sure of what to say. Not sure what to think.
That she was brave to admit her guilt? That she's doing the right thing? That everything will be alright? Alex couldn't bring herself to do any of them. She didn't know what would happen next.
At her hesitation, the young girl reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a tight squeeze, her face looking much older than it should at the age of twelve. She looked tired. Resigned to her fate.
Alex sighed. Before she could even begin to contemplate what they should do, a hand landed heavily on her shoulder and pulled her around.
She was almost unsurprised when she turned and came face to face with Bellamy's dark, accusing glare.
"You knew?" he demanded, jaw clenching.
The betrayal in his voice made her wince. Swallowing, she licked her lips. "Yeah..." she said softly. "I knew." Saying it out loud only made everything feel worse.
For a long second, he stared down at her, the disbelief on his face fading to an angry glare. Wordlessly he turned and stormed away, shoving his way through the surrounding crowd. She could only watched him walk away, feeling almost numb except for the dull ache in her chest. She knew that this set things back between them. They were back to square one.
What did you expect? She asked herself, feeling exhausted. Your silence nearly resulted in him taking an innocent boy's life. You deserve his scorn. You deserve worse than that.
Forcefully turning away from the direction he'd gone, her gaze landed on the remnants of the noose that not long ago had nearly been the end of Murphy's life.
Resolve slowly grew in her.
She would not let Charlotte suffer the same fate as Murphy.
Not if she had any say in it.
Bellamy's tent was one of the few places where they could go to get away from prying eyes and curious ears. When she'd ducked through the entrance earlier, she'd been met with wary glances from Clarke and Finn and a cold look from Bellamy. Charlotte sagged in relief. Luckily, no one seemed to have a problem with her being there. They knew she was part of this mess just as much as the rest of them, if not more, and she needed to help them figure out what the hell they were going to do.
So far, it wasn't going well.
The silence in the tent was tense. Clarke and Finn stood side-by-side across from her and Charlotte, postures rigid, arms folded tightly across their chests. Bellamy paced back and forth across the dirt floor, glaring down at the space in front of him, hands clenching and unclenching, showing his agitation.
The atmosphere was sharply contrasted to the sounds piercing the thin tent walls, where an enraged Murphy prowled around the outside the tent, the sounds of his displeasure only adding to the tension.
It hadn't taken him long to get back on his feet. Alex would have been more impressed if he hadn't instantly clued into what had happened and who was actually responsible for his near execution. He wanted Charlotte. And as he'd reminded them more than once since he started talking again. No, shouting again: he wanted her dead.
Fortunately, for the moment, Murphy seemed deterred by the fact that Charlotte was surrounded by people who might fight back if he tried to make a move on her life, as he hadn't made a move to come in the tent. Yet.
"Bring out the girl, Bellamy!" Murphy shouted, his voice hoarse, though his rage was clear.
They were running out of time.
Leaning against a makeshift table, Alex tensed at the sound of his voice. Not for the first time she expected him to come storming in the tent. She was surprised he had waiting even this long.
Beside her, Charlotte jumped in her seat, eyes wide as she stared at the flap of the tent which made the door.
Alex was too tense to feel more than just the faint echo of pity for the young girl. She knew she would do whatever she could to keep Murphy away from her, but the pity she felt for her was shallow at best.
Charlotte had chosen her path.
Every crime deserved punishment. And Charlotte had done more than enough to deserve it.
But like hell was Alex going to let Murphy be the one to determine the punishment.
He may have been innocent of killing Wells, but that didn't stop him from being a sadistic, vengeful bastard. If given the chance, she didn't doubt that Murphy would gut the girl. With that sick smirk etched on his face.
Not going to happen.
"Why, Charlotte?" Bellamy finally asked as he paced, running his hands through his hair in agitation, shoulders tense.
Charlotte seemed to sink into herself at the question. "I-I was just trying to slay my demons….like you said," she answered meekly, cringing away from him.
Bellamy froze at her words, turned to stare down at the young girl like she'd suddenly sprouted another head.
"What...what the hell is she talking about?" Clarke demanded, giving Charlotte a disbelieving glare before turning to Bellamy for a response. Finn stood slightly behind her, face carefully blank as he watched the conversation. He hadn't said a word since they'd walked in.
"She misunderstood me," Bellamy said in explanation, sounding defensive. Shaking his head, he glared at Clarke in frustration before turning back to accused girl. "Charlotte, you misunderstood me. That's not what I meant," he said, his voice taking on a more pleading tone.
Clarke suddenly whirled on Alex, eyes narrowed. "You couldn't have tried to stop her from any of this?"
Alex's eyebrows shot up at the unexpected accusation, before narrowing into slits glare back at her. Clenching her jaw, she took a deep breath before replying. "Believe it or not, I didn't know about this until earlier today," she bit out, trying to keep her tone even.
It makes sense that they would question you. You did keep Charlotte's guilt a secret, no matter what you say.
"And you didn't say anything?" Bellamy questioned, giving her the same dark expression he'd given her earlier. He didn't believe her.
Frustrated, Alex stepped forward, unfolding her arms, meeting his gaze head on. Challenging. "What did you expect me to say? 'Oh, hey, I know who killed Wells. And by the way, it was Charlotte," she said sarcastically before giving a dark laugh. "Yeah. That would have gone over super well."
"You could have stopped it!" Clarke said.
"What?" Alex blinked at her in disbelief, before her expression darkened. "You mean when I tried to stop you from accusing Murphy in the first place?" She said, frustration creeping into her voice. Clarke clenched her jaw in response. "I tried to stop you. I did. But you were so determined to accuse Murphy of anything that you. wouldn't. listen," she spat back. "So don't accuse me of doing nothing. If you'd taken a second to actually listen to what I'd said then none of this would have happened," she finished, echoing Bellamy's earlier accusation.
She felt momentarily satisfied when Clarke flinched at her accusation, knowing she was right. From next to Clarke, Finn stood straighter, narrowed his eyes in her direction in warning. Alex ignored him.
"You still could have said something before things got out of hand. You knew the entire time - stood there and watched - and decided to do nothing?" Bellamy said, voice dripping with skepticism.
"And what?" She questioned angrily, stepping forward to glare up to him. "Have the mob out there turn on Charlotte instead? Is that what you wanted - to kick the crate out from under her feet instead of Murphy's?"
The silence that followed her statement was painfully tense.
Alex swallowed the welling of guilt that came with the hardening of Bellamy's expression, almost wishing she could take back the words as they left her mouth. She knew it was a low blow - she suspected Bellamy was dealing with some form of guilt for having kicked the table out from under the wrong person, and here she'd gone and rubbed some salt in it.
But she'd needed to make a point. She would do it again if she had to.
For a long moment the stared at each other. Bellamy's jaw ticked as he glared down at her, fists clenched at his sides. He hadn't dignified her with a response.
"Bring the girl out!" Murphy demanded. "Or things are going to get real nasty." As Murphy reminded them all that he was still eagerly waiting outside, Alex finally broke her gaze away as Charlotte whimpered.
She could hear the promise in Murphy's words and didn't doubt him for a second. He was out for blood.
Taking a step away from Bellamy, Alex took a deep breath through her nose in an attempt to rein in her anger. Snapping at each other's throats right now wasn't helping anyone.
She wet her lips before breaking the silence. "Look," she began, keeping her tone even, meeting each of their gazes in turn. "We can play the blame game as much as we want later on, when all this shit's over. I think we can all agree that all of us could have done things differently - but none of that's going to help us right. now," she said, sounding tired to her own ears. "Can we at least put our heads together to figure out what the hell we're going to do about this," she waved a hand out in the direction Murphy's voice had come from. "Before we have another body on our hands?" she finished,
While the tension in the tent didn't completely evaporate, there seemed to be a shift.
She knew this argument wasn't over yet.
Finally, Bellamy huffed, then nodded. "She's right," he said, not looking in her direction, instead focusing on Clarke and Finn. "Now's not the time. We need to figure this out. So, if anyone has any bright ideas, speak up now."
For a second none of them spoke.
When Finn cleared his throat and stepped forward, all eyes turned to him expectantly. Alex was a little surprised - since he'd cut Murphy down, he'd kept his thoughts to himself.
"I think I have an idea," he began slowly, keeping his voice low and motioning them all forward. "But if we want this to work, we're going to have to be quick...and quiet."
The plan was simple. Finn would sneak Clarke and Charlotte out the back and head to a bunker Finn had found while exploring earlier in the day, while Bellamy and Alex distracted Murphy, giving the trio as much time as they could to get away before Murphy realized what was really going on.
Listening to Murphy's angry rant outside, Alex had a moment of doubt. She wasn't sure how long they would be able to manage to distract him.
Murphy might be batshit crazy, but no one has ever called him stupid.
As Finn began pulling up the edge of the tent so that they could slide underneath, Alex turned to the wide-eyed Charlotte, taking note of how scared the girl looked. Leaning down until she was eye level, she tried to give her what she hoped was a reassuring expression and not the grimace that it actually felt like.
"Hey, things are going to be fine. We're not going to let Murphy get you," she told her firmly. "Just make sure you stay with Clarke and Finn, and they'll get you somewhere safe, okay? And make sure you do what they say," she added.
When Charlotte gave her a shaky nod in response, she stood up and patted her shoulder before moving to the entrance of the tent, where Bellamy stood. Charlotte joined the other two on the opposite side, where Finn was holding up the edge of the fabric, Clarke already on the other side.
Coming to a stop next the Bellamy, Alex took a steadying breath, mentally and physically preparing herself to face a rampaging Murphy, knowing there would be nothing pleasant about it..
Despite feeling like she was about to march into a warzone, she couldn't ignore the tense silence between her and Bellamy. Biting her lip, she contemplated trying to apologize, but could tell by the set of his shoulders and the way he'd angled himself away from her that he didn't want to talk.
So she stayed silent and instead glanced over her shoulder to see Charlotte shoot her one last worried look before ducking out. She exchanged a nod with Finn, before he followed suit.
Once Clarke and the other's had slipped away, and Alex felt like they'd given them a decent enough head start - and the silence began to make her uncomfortable - she braced herself.
"Let's get this shit over with," she said and pushed passed the drape that stood as a door.
Despite his silence, Bellamy was a reassuring presence at her back.
As they stepped out of the tent, she noted how the crowd hadn't really moved too much from where they'd been earlier, most looking keen to see how things were going to play out. They had, however, left a large space between them, where Murphy was prowling.
For a brief second she was reminded of the cat that had attacked them when they were trying to rescue Jasper. Angry. Impatient. Deadly.
Hearing their approach Murphy stopped pacing and turned to greet them with a sneer, giving Alex her first sight of how rough he actually looked. The area where ropes had dug into the soft tissue of his neck was already starting to turn a blotchy purple red, the swelling becoming apparent. His eyes were bloodshot, and the area around them bruised and bloody from the beating he'd received from the other delinquents.
She pushed back the guilt the sight caused her. This was better than the alternative. This was better than death.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to join us," he commented, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice as he marched towards them. "Now, where's the girl?"
Bellamy stepped forward, placing himself half between her and Murphy, extending an arm to keep the other boy from moving forward any more than he had. "Dial it down and back off," Bellamy warned him.
Murphy scoffed a laugh, tilting his head with a glare. "Or what?" he challenged, chest pushing against Bellamy's hand. "What are you going to do about it - hang me?"
Bellamy flinched at the accusation, dropping his arm. "I was just giving the people what they wanted," he said in his defence, keeping his voice low.
"Oh, really?" Murphy asked sarcastically, before his expression turned more agreeable. "Actually, you know what, that's a good idea! Why don't we do that right now?" He turned away from them to gaze at the surrounding spectators. Her and Bellamy shared a brief glance, wondering what Murphy was up to. "So," Murphy continued, raising his voice. "Who here wants to see the real murderer strung up? All in favor?" he asked, raising his hand in the air.
The silence that followed his question was awkward and tense. Several people shifted on their feet and exchanged glances. But other than a hesitant Mbege, and the few others who'd followed Murphy's lead since day one, nobody raised their hands.
Alex could practically feel the fury radiating from Murphy as he glared around the clearing.
"Oh, I see," Murphy seethed. "So, you string me up for nothing?But when that little bitch confesses, you let her walk?!" he screamed at the crowd. "Cowards! All of you are cowards!"
Bellamy stepped forwards his hands almost raised in surrender. "Hey, Murphy!" he barked and Murphy whirled around to face him with a snarl. "Murphy, it's over. It's done."
Murphy glared at him for a long moment, hatred visible on his features and Alex wondered if he was going to lash out at Bellamy. But then, as she watched, his features relaxed as if the fight had left him completely.
Alex frowned as she watched him. What? He's giving up? Just like that? She didn't believe it for a second.
Then Murphy nodded, shrinking away from Bellamy. Conceding. "Okay, boss. Whatever you say."
His agreement set alarms off in her head. There was absolutely no way he would just let this slide. His anger, his hatred, had been all too real a second ago.
Bellamy eyed him for a second, then seemed to take his words at face value. "Okay," he replied in relief, giving him a nod. Then promptly turned his back on Murphy.
What is he doing?!
Murphy face instantly shifted to nasty smirk as he stared a Bellamy's back. Before Alex could take more than a gasp of breath to shout out a warning, Murphy had picked up a branch and stepped forward, slamming it over the back of Bellamy's head.
"Bellamy!" Alex gasped, echoing Octavia's scream. They both leapt forward, Alex trying to catch him as he crumpled to the ground; Octavia aiming for Murphy back.
Murphy was quick to react, whirling to face Octavia, even as she was yanked back by Jasper, who Murphy promptly punched in the face, sending him crashing to the ground.
Octavia dodged around them both, darting to Bellamy's side.
Kneeling down next to him, Alex began to roll him over, as Octavia crouched down on his other side. Both of them letting out a breath of relief when they saw he was already moving, reaching up to touch the back of his head with a pained groan. His fingers came away slick with blood.
"Son of a bitch!" Murphy spat down at Bellamy as he stood over them.
Rage flared through her and her gaze snapped up to glare at him, but as she met his eyes something dark flickered across his expression.
Before she could react, Murphy leapt forwards, hand closing tightly around her throat, fingers digging painfully into the soft flesh of her neck. Even as she gave a choked cry, he yanked her up and backwards, her feet slipping out from under her as he slammed her into a nearby tree, the harsh bark biting painfully into her back.
"Oh, ho, ho," Murphy laughed darkly, fully pressing against her, their noses almost touching as he tightened his grip, cutting off all her air. "You, Evans, are one sly bitch."
Desperately grasping at his hand and arm, she dug her nails into his arm as she attempted to push him away, but he held on tight. When she reached for the blade in her pocket, his other hand snaked down and gripped her wrist, yanking it up between them and pinning it in place.
He tutted at her. "Doesn't feel too great, does it?" he asked her mockingly, enjoying how she struggled to draw breath. He eyed her, cocking his head to the side. "No, you - you deserve much worse. See, I know you knew about what really happened. I saw you and the little bitch crying over it earlier. I hadn't really thought about it until now. But it suddenly all makes sense! A murderer defending murder, shouldn't really be too surprising."
Lashing out with her free hand, she struck him across the face with enough force to snap his face to one side. Although he loosened his hold, he didn't let go.
Coughing, she gasped for breath. "And yet—I was one of the few— who tried— to save— your fucking life," she snarled back.
Her comment gave him pause, his brow furrowing in response.
But before he had a chance to reply, he was physically hauled away from her.
The sudden absence of his grip around her throat was a welcome relief and she folded over, grasping her throat as she gasped for fresh oxygen. She glanced up expecting to see Bellamy back on his feet and standing over Murphy, but was shocked to find someone else standing between her and Murphy.
She frowned. "Nate?" she asked, unsure and surprised. What was he doing?
He said nothing in response, simply continuing to stare down at Murphy, who was staring at Miller like he couldn't decide if it would be worth the trouble or not. Although Miller's posture was deceptively relaxed, she knew from the set of his shoulders that he was ready to move at any second. She'd seen that posture enough time's when he and Liam used to play and wrestle around. And she knew from watching them fight he knew what he was doing...and he was good.
"Back off, Murphy," Miller stated, voice level and cool, hands still shoved in his jacket pockets.
Unfortunately, Murphy seemed to take Miller's words as a challenge, stepping forward to stand chest to chest with him.
"Oh yeah?" Murphy sneered, nearly nose to nose with the deceptively calm Miller. "And why don't you make-"
Murphy was interrupted by the fist that slammed into his face, a sickening snap! piercing the air as he went careening backwards, crashing to the ground.
Someone in the shocked crowd let out a choked laugh at the abrupt turn of events.
Miller stared him down with a frown, the hand that struck Murphy slowly dropping to his side. Then he shrugged. "I said — back off."
Murphy gave him a bloody snarl, then spat a mouthful of blood on the ground next to him before shoving himself to his feet. He wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, smearing the blood pouring from his nose. For a second, he looked like he would charge Miller.
Then Bellamy stepped forward, placing himself near Miller, and far enough out of Murphy's reach as he massaged the back of his head. "It's over, Murphy."
That finally seemed enough to deter him. "Yeah. Whatever," Murphy said, turning to a wide-eyed Mbege. "Let's go!" He snapped as he pushed past them, heading in the direction of Bellamy's tent, where he still thought Charlotte was hiding out.
They let him go.
"Charlotte! Charlotte, come out!" Murphy called as he pushed into the tent. There was a small pause before he came storming back out again. Whirling around, he glared into the forest. "I know you can hear me, Charlotte!" he shouted. "When I find you, you're going to pay! You hear me! You're going to pay!"
Then with one final glare at the rest of them, he stormed off into the forest, Mbege and three others following reluctantly at his heels.
As soon as Murphy was out of sight, the entire group seemed to sag in relief. With the break of excitement, the spectating delinquents seemed to lose interest and began to drift away returning to their previous tasks.
Alex let out a shaky breath she'd been holding as she rubbed her throat. Turning back to Miller, she eyed him for a moment, confused about his constantly changing attitude.
"Thanks," she said softly.
He turned to her, eyeing her before giving her a nod. "It's not like I'm not used to saving your scrawny ass," he said dryly, then turned and walked away.
Alex blinked, startled, watching as he joined a group of boys standing at the edge of the clearing, greeted with some excitement and firm slaps on the back.
That was the first time he'd talked to her without throwing Liam in her face.
Frowning, she shook her head, confused but still thankful for his help, then headed back towards Bellamy, who was prodding the back of his head gingerly, face set in a grimace.
"Are you okay?" she asked him tentatively, knowing that they hadn't exactly been on talking terms before this whole mess.
He gave an unimpressed look, wincing. "I might have a headache for the rest of the day…but I should survive," he said dryly, then frowned, shooting her a concerned look. "You?" he nodded towards her throat.
"I'll be fine," she shrugged off his concern. Biting her lip, she turned to stare in the direction Murphy had headed. "We should go after them," she said.
Bellamy considered her suggestion for only a moment before shaking his head. "Not yet." When she shot him a look, he added, "they're heading in the wrong direction. Let those idiot wander around a bit. It's starting to get dark anyway, so with any luck they'll get themselves lost."
Bellamy had a point - they were going in the wrong direction. But that didn't mean they couldn't double back, or realize they were going the wrong way at some point. What if they catch up to Charlotte and the others before they have a chance to get to safety?
The uncertainty of the situation had her shaking her head in reply. "I'm going to go after them," she told him firmly. Then hesitated. "It's just…I need to know," she added, more softly. "If something happens and I'm not there…"
For a long moment, he eyed her before sighing, giving her an exasperated look.
"You know…. this whole thing could have been avoided if you'd told me what was going on in the first place," he pointed out, and although there was some accusation in his voice, it didn't hold the same anger as last time.
She cringed. "I know," she said, sounding far more defensive than she'd intended to. "It wasn't...it wasn't supposed to go like that." When he continued eyeing her, she tensed, frowning up at him. "Look - I'm not asking for permission. I'm going after them with or without you," she groused, then turned on her heel and headed in the direction Murphy and his gang had gone.
She could do this on her own.
It didn't take him more than a second to catch up with her. He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he stated. "From what Miller says, you're bound to get into trouble one way or another anyway."
She shot him a dirty look in response. "He only used to get me out of trouble that he caused in the first place," She grumbled.
He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, because since we've landed you haven't got in trouble at all," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "And I'm pretty damn sure Miller wasn't around for any of that."
Despite the situation, Alex couldn't help the twitch her lips gave at the comment, before reminding herself that Charlotte might need them. Hardening her expression, she took a deep breath and ducked into the forest, Bellamy on her heels.
Murphy will kill Charlotte if he finds her first.
They had a job to do.
A/N: What did you think? This chapter felt like a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for Alex. I actually felt bad for her while writing it. And poor Murphy... he may be a total jackass in season 1, but he has such good character development later on. Can't wait to write about it!
THINK YOU GUYS COULD GET ME TO 125 REVIEWS? Only 12 away! Yay! :)
And tell me what you think of Season 4 so far?! Oh man, anyone else loving how the remaining 100 are back to working as a team again (except poor Jasper)? And the slow but amazing build up to Bellarke? *dreamy sigh* love it! And holy shit, that episode last night. I don't think my poor heart could take it.
To Anon Reviews:
Amalie:Thank you so much for your review! Here's your update! Finally! I hope to never stop writing too. It's too much fun!
Jag: Thanks so much for your review! I really wanted to convey Alex's conflicting feeling on whether to allow Murphy to take the blame or not, so I'm really glad it came across that way. While Alex isn't afraid to do things that need to be done, her moral compass is usually pointed in the right direction. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Skylar: Thanks for your review! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)
James:Thank you so, so much for your review! It made me blush! Hearing how much you are enjoying Alex's story really makes me happy. This is my first real fanfiction, so knowing I'm doing some things right is a relief! :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!
Joey: Thanks for the review! Hope you enjoyed the update! :)